At a studio, users can produce mastered videos at different mastering monitor peak luminance (brightness) levels targeting home videos, theatres, smartphones, and the like because target devices (i.e., home display device, theatre display device, smartphone, and the like) have different values of M(nit).
As an example, a studio that has already mastered a movie with a mastering monitor having maximum luminance level of M has the mastered file, namely fM, which includes a mastered video. In this example, users may want to have a mastered video at different peak luminance level of N-nit (assume N<M). In such case, users have two options: (i) re-mastering; or (ii) tone mapping.
The re-mastering option uses an N-nit mastering monitor with the original video file, namely F, to create a mastered video. Hence, the option duplicates the workflow of generating the mastered file fM in order to generate the remastered file fN, which includes a re-mastered video. This re-mastering process can (i) provide a high quality; and/or be costly.
The tone mapping option can be referred to as a down tone mapping method. The tone mapping option uses the already mastered video fM with algorithms or software to generate a tone mapped video fMN. This tone mapping process can (i) save time and cost; and/or (ii) produce unsatisfactory results such as saturation of highlighted objects or scenes.